Superman #216

Superman #216 (On Sale: March 18, 1969) has the rarest of rares, a Superman cover by Joe Kubert. It doesn't get much better than this!

While U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war continued, Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito tackled "The Soldier of Steel" that took Superman straight to the battlefield. DC's war comics primarily took place in World War II; this issue marked the first time that any DC publication had sent one of its heroes to Vietnam. The overall story provided little social commentary regarding the war itself. Nevertheless, this was a landmark moment in the Man of Steel's history.<

U.S. soldiers flood the offices of the Daily Planet with letters asking for Superman's help. Clark Kent and Lois Lane enlist as a medic and a nurse to acquire stories from the soldiers' point of view. However, it wasn't long before Superman is dispatched to rescue the troops and a local orphanage from enemy forces - chief among them' Johnny Morley, a meek U.S. soldier, who was forced by the evil Dr. Han's medical herbs, to transform into the monstrous King Cong. The Man of Tomorrow eventually isolated the giant long enough for the herbs to wear off, enabling Morley to help rescue troops that were under fire.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.